Select Materials are Reusable, Recyclable, Energy-Efficient and Lightweight to
Help Reduce the Environmental Impact at Conferences Across the U.S.
PLEASANTON, Calif., September 18, 2019—As part of its continuous efforts to operate more sustainably, CooperVision has minimized environmental impact in many areas of its business. From LEED Silver-certified manufacturing and distribution facilities in Costa Rica and Spain to 100% renewable electricity usage in Rochester, N.Y., the company is making strides in saving water, conserving energy, reducing, reusing, and recycling resources, and empowering its people. Now this commitment has extended to CooperVision’s presence at industry conferences—including this week at Vision Expo West in Las Vegas—through a new booth that was designed with sustainability in mind.
CooperVision’s new space features an updated, modern look and feel that embodies the company brand. Visitors enjoy an open and airy layout, allowing for conversation and movement through the booth. But material and build choices were based on more than just aesthetics and guest experience; the team also considered how it could reduce the booth’s environmental footprint by minimizing waste, and by decreasing the structure’s weight to reduce freight costs and the carbon footprint associated with shipping it to multiple conferences each year.
“When the Vision Expo West exhibit hall opens on Thursday, attendees will walk among more than 1,100 booths that range from the small and simple to the large and elaborate. But seldom does anyone think about how much waste is created, how all of this gets here, or the effects on the environment,” said Julie Lewis, Manager, U.S. Tradeshows and Events, CooperVision. “When we set out to redesign our booth, we saw it as an opportunity to work toward our goal of doing better every day—and take the lead in this area.”
CooperVision’s new booth includes sustainable features that are:
- Reusable or reused. Nearly all elements of the booth will be reused for many future trade shows. Where possible, CooperVision also reused existing materials from its old booth, such as the sink, plumbing components, and fit set trays. Even the shipping materials are reusable, as most of the booth elements are packed and transported in crates. In doing so, the need for wasteful materials—such as the shrink wrap and banding used to secure skidded goods, which is discarded after each use—is significantly minimized. To further reduce waste and consumption of paper-based materials in graphic print and production, CooperVision has opted to transition the majority of its in-booth messaging to digital displays. The monitors—and other heavy equipment—are also rented at each show; the use of shared resources means the company no longer needs to upgrade the technology every few years, and is environmentally beneficial because they are not shipped from city to city.
- Recyclable. Booth materials do have a limited lifespan, so CooperVision took care to select recyclable products whenever possible, including the flooring, seating, and overhead fabric graphics.
- Energy efficient. Canopy lights utilize low-voltage LED bulbs to minimize the energy needed to illuminate the booth.
- Lightweight shipping. The plywood used to fabricate the internal structures of CooperVision’s booth is 30% lighter than traditional sheets of plywood. Traditionally, the overhead displays at trade shows require full truss systems, which are extremely heavy and add to shipping burdens. CooperVision’s new hanging structures—including the overhead fabric graphics, which utilizes aluminum tubing framework instead of a truss system—are all lightweight and easily broken down and packed into a low profile to reduce their footprint for transit.
- Sourced responsibly. The booth’s maple paneling and high-pressure laminates are from vendors who are also committed to operating sustainably and sourcing materials responsibly. For example, one vendor owns and manages its own timberland and reuses sawdust generated in the milling process to provide heat and steam to fuel its manufacturing processes.
For a look at CooperVision’s new booth, visit MS9059 at the Sands Expo during Vision Expo West, or at Academy 2019 in Orlando next month.
The new booth design is only a small piece of CooperVision’s sustainability initiatives. The company is continuously working to minimize environmental impact and operate more sustainably around the globe as part of broader efforts across CooperCompanies to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. For more information about these sustainability efforts, visit coopervision.com/sustainability.
# # #
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a unit of CooperCompanies (NYSE: COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. The Company produces a full array of monthly, two-week and daily disposable contact lenses, all featuring advanced materials and optics. CooperVision has a strong heritage of solving the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism and presbyopia; and offers the most complete collection of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.
About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies (“Cooper”) is a global medical device company public traded on NYSE (NYSE: COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Cooper has more than 12,000 employees with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
Media Contact
Heather Kowalczyk
McDougall Communications for CooperVision, Inc.